Letters to the editor: March 16, 2016

Contrasting behavior

Dear Editor:

Last week’s Methow Valley News showed an interesting contrast between the maturity of our high school students and that of the leading Republican candidates for president.

As Ms. Perrow correctly noted in her letter to the editor, the candidates are doing their best to behave like they are in an elementary school yard. She blames the press for pulling out that “rude and childish behavior.” I think the candidates are responsible for their own behavior. And if the Republican-friendly folks at FOX News could do that, I hate to think how badly any of those candidates as president would react to a verbal attack from an unfriendly foreign leader.

In contrast, your paper reported on the attempt of the Liberty Bell High School drama class to confront serious and difficult situations they are facing, and will face as responsible adults. Unfortunately, a few parents convinced the school to stop them from performing the play. Instead, the class will be reduced to producing a cutesy little musical. How sad for them and for the entire community.

The only encouraging thing about these two stories is that the young people are behaving the most like adults. That bodes well for our valley’s future.

Randy Brook, Twisp

Stifled creativity

Dear Editor:

I was dismayed to read that the students of Liberty Bell High School’s drama class have been told to torpedo their plans to produce their original play, The Port In The Storm, because it deals with “adult” themes which apparently make some of their parents uncomfortable. Adult themes? If you think that your teenagers aren’t thinking about sex and relationships, think again.

I can’t imagine a more creative and engaging way to start working out these complex situations than by writing and producing an original play! These kids worked really hard on this project and I would love to see The Port In The Storm. I feel a bit miffed that I am being denied that opportunity and hope that these young playwrights find another outlet for their work.

In the meantime, maybe they can find a safer play to present that won’t ruffle any feathers. I suggest Harvey, or Charlie’s Aunt, or Arsenic And Old Lace. One of those ought to fire them right up.

Mary McFaul, Loup Loup

See it on line

Dear Editor:

After a long run of exclusive engagements, like the two here in the Methow, Patagonia says that the documentary Jumbo Wild is available on Netflix. Why avalanches were largely ignored by both sides, even in this documentary, as they were at Mineral King, is puzzling. Maybe the agonizingly drawn-out, 24-year antagonism of developers and their adversaries really is more important. The blindness of another architect to the facts of ecological life was Jumbo Wild’s most interesting aspect for me.

Related to Jumbo ecologically is the Mountain Caribou Initiative, headed up by David Moskowitz. It involves part of the same north-south biological corridor as the already famous grizzlies of Y2Y, which a Jumbo Glacier Resort would potentially intersect. If you missed David’s latest lecture here, you can get caught up by going to his website: davidmoskowitz.net. Wolves are even more important than grizzlies with both Dave’s mountain caribou and their eastern Canadian relatives, the woodland caribou.International Wolf magazine has a feature article about these, plus news of the wolf killing around Jumbo, supposedly to benefit mountain caribou.

Eric Burr, Lost Mazama

Thanks for the input

Dear Editor:

A big thank you to the dozens of community members from Carlton to Mazama and Liberty Bell High School students who shared their valuable time and insights at our recent focus group gatherings. We promise you that your generous enthusiasm, insights, questions, and answers will be guiding our work in the months and years to come! You represent the many reasons why Methow Recycles is here and why the Methow Valley has one of the most progressive recycling programs in the rural west. We are honored to serve you!